Hilary Best, one of our most regular supporters, is the latest person to enter the MEA Haircut Hall of Fame.
Using her husband’s beard trimmer at setting 4, she hacked back her shoulder-length hair on ME Awareness Day.
She says that, until it grows back again, it will cut out the need to brush her hair and so save much-needed energy.
“My head is definitely cold. It feels weird. But I'm getting used to it now, and of course it's dead easy to look after”, she said afterwards.
She is now looking to find a charity to which she could donate the shaven hair. It seems the charity most people use – The Little Princess Trust – cannot use grey hair.
“I need to spend a bit more time finding someone who will make use of it,” said Hilary.
In the past, she says she entered running and triathlon events for various charities but, since M.E. first affected her 20 years ago, she has become limited in what she can do.
“Until 2015, I was lucky enough to recover and get back to a normal life, including working full-time and running, swimming, cycling and walking for pleasure and fitness. I was appalled to find that no progress had been in ME research.
“My old GP had retired and I found that the local GP surgery has less understanding of the illness.”
She can look after herself but husband Andy has to do all the shopping, cooking, cleaning and laundry. She can walk 200 yards but uses a mobility scooter to go further. She can’t stand up for more than a minute.
“I would love to run about and play games with my grandson, go on long walks and cycle rides”, she said wistfully.
Her haircut has raised over £500 for our Ramsay Research Fund. If you would like to support Hilary's fundraiser, please visit here.
